The Dating Club

Spaghetti Snogs and Ice Cream Sundae

Chapter Eight: Spaghetti, Snogs (?) and Ice Cream Sundae

Dedicated to @katrocks247 for writing 'How to be Cliche' and curing a lot of boredness on my eight hour journey to Cornwall. Thankyou so much! Guys, go check out her work :)

La Mezzoluna is an Italian restaurant in that part of town that is not as developed as the rest of the city, but is still nice to hang around, despite it falling to pieces. Marissa and I sometimes walk around there and peak in all the old shops selling tatty books and little wooden sculptures of ducks and birds, it's quite quaint but sometimes a little scary, with it's dark alleyways and occasional gangs.

I used to go here a lot with my Dad when Mum was still alive, but since she died I haven't found the courage to go back to that particular restaurant, which is a shame, because it is a very nice place to eat out, and they do a very good Spaghetti Carbonara.

Alfie doesn't have a license yet, like me, so we walk there. It isn't as awkward as last time I had to go to a date, as Alfie appreciates that silence is golden, as do I. I love this and find myself beginning to like him quite a lot, despite my mission.

Alfie isn't hard to like. He is, I suppose, a little like the boy version of Marissa. Like my best girl friend, he is more likely to be sat with his head in a book than chatting with other people at lunch. He is always studying during recess, and any time either me or Marissa have tried to make conversation he's batted us off, with excuses of homework or an important test to revise for. It's not because he's rude, but because he's most probably telling the truth. He also does a lot of out-of-school activities, so it's not a surprise that he does not have much of a social life.

I suppose I can't really speak, but i'm quite happy with what I do have - two really close friends. And one freakish stalker, going by the name of Mathew Miles.

He has the kind of boyish good looks that some people like, and cute little dimples when he smiles. His hair is dark and curly, and his eyes are green and mysterious. He's not quite as tall as Matty and Luke, but still a little taller than me.

"Have you ever eaten here before?" smiles Alfie as we near the door. The smell of pasta and garlic bread wafts towards me as we enter, and I'm hit with memories of a family of four, eating out together, and a small child running around and being chased by two chefs.

"I have, a long time ago," I say fondly, running a hand along the worn material of one of the sofa chairs at near the window. This is the seat that my family always took.

"Oh with your family?"

"Yes, you?"

"Hmm," he says absent mindedly, stopping beside the seat I had had my hand on. "Want to sit here?"

I look at the seat and I see my ten year old self look back at me. I shake my head sadly. "I can't sit there," I say.

Someone else is sat there.

"So tell me about yourself," says Alfie as we are sat at the back of the restaurant, in plush armchairs. I can see he is really trying to make an effort, despite looking so nervous and even a little uncomfortable and I feel so terrible for making him go through this that I lose all thoughts of acting mean and melt completely.

"Well, aha, I'm in year 12, my first year of sixth form, I have two best friends called Marissa and Luke..."

I see him stiffen at the sound of Luke's name and I sigh. Why do all guys act like this when they hear I'm best friends with a guy? Even though I like him it's pretty obvious that the most we are is friends. If Luke wanted more than that, surely he would have made a move on me by now?